Warriors of the Continental War
by Silver Winged Duck
Summary: OBC writer Brett Thompson explores the Usean Continental War and tells the tale of the famous conflict from a unique perspective, by interviewing a surviving Yellow Squadron pilot.
1. The Curtain Rises

**A Note from the Author**

Finally, after years of waiting and putting it off, I've decided to blow the dust off the laptop and start writing again. I have Ace Combat 7 to thank for my return to writing. I'd make up excuses about not being able to write because of joining up, or some serious writer's block but hey. Here I am.

I'd like to give a special thanks to both _Loose Cannon Doccy _and _Karaya 1 _for giving their time to proof read and review each chapter draft before they're posted. Also while I'm here, I'd like to recommend _Flash Fire _by _Karaya 1_, an excellent fic and fantastic read.

Without further ado, here's my return to writing. I read all reviews and reply to every single one, so let me know what you think!

* * *

Ever since my obsession with The Belkan War, and the legendary mercenary pilot known as The Demon Lord, my interest in the untold stories of conflict has only grown. My research and investigations shifted from Belka across the Spring Sea to the Usean Continent. Not long ago, another war broke out that engulfed the whole Usean continent. The Usean Continental War.

The war has its roots in the discovery of the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid in 1994. While war raged in Belka, the Usean nations banded together to create Stonehenge, a railgun network designed to shoot the asteroid fragments as they entered the atmosphere. Despite this, parts of the asteroid hit the planet, causing widespread destruction. Two million Useans died over two weeks, causing a massive refugee crisis.

Erusea, struggling from the impact, refused to accept further refugees in the spring of 2003. When the Usean nations boycotted the Federal Republic of Erusea, it launched a surprise invasion of the Usean continent, and seized control of Stonehenge. The Usean countries created ISAF, the Independent States Allied Forces, and prepared to retaliate. The Usean Continental War had begun.

All of this can be found in any history book, however. Having learnt from the Belkan War that there are many sides to the same story, I wanted to grasp a unique insight into the war. Using contacts I had in the military, I managed to track down and interview a member of the legendary Yellow Squadron who survived the war.

And so, without further ado, the curtain rises.

The pilot in question is known by his TAC name Raccoon, former member of the Federal Erusea Air Force, 156th Tactical Fighter Wing 'Aquila'. Also known as Yellow Nine. He joined the squadron just after the outbreak of the war, and remained with them until the end. He agreed to speak to me about his experience of the war and his time as part of Erusea's most infamous squadron, but he asked me to keep his identity secret. "For personal reasoms." He explained. "I'd rather not have the publicity."

I asked about his TAC name and he laughed. During basic training, he was caught doing through the bins in search of some missing paperwork. For weeks he was known as Trash Panda until he could bribe off the name for Raccoon.

"I joined the Air Force on the turn of my 21st birthday." Raccoon explains to me. He is sat with his legs crossed, relaxed as he speaks. The photograph I have of him is old, his once young features have grown rugged and weathered. Like me, he is dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. "My teenage years were filled with stories from the Belkan War, and that drew me to sign up. I never expected to be assigned to Erusea's ace squadron, I guess I must have impressed the right people."

"When I got to the squadron, the war had already started. Our forces had captured San Salvacion and had begun turning Stonehenge into a powerful anti-aircraft weapon. Our squadron was assigned to defend it from the enemy fighters, and so my first taste in combat was doing just that."

"We got the call that the ISAF were planning a long range strike against Stonehenge. It was Yellow Thirteen who gave the brief, that we were to intercept the strike before it reached the superweapon. Our base at the time was in northeast Erusea so we took off that morning before the sun had risen in order to reach Stonehenge on time. We were prepared with both long and short range missiles."

I asked him what it was like to see Stonehenge in person for the first time. He smiled as he answered, gesturing with hands that bore scars of old burns.

"To this day I have never seen something so impressive. When it first appeared just over to the left of us I thought it was a small city with a few fledging skyscrapers. But it was only when we got closer that the details became clear. Seven of the railguns were aimed to the skies, the eighth had been damaged I think so it's nose was buried in the sand. I remember thinking to myself, the thing was so wide I could easily land and take off again with room to spare!"

"The same poor weather that had prevented closer squadrons from taking off had also hindered the ISAF fighters, so we took advantage and flew out to meet them. Our radars picked them up, and we were given the order to engage. We fired long range missiles first, they hit two or three of the strike fighters. It was clear at this stage that we weren't up against your average joe, these were some ISAF veterans using the clouds to disrupt the missile tracking."

"The cloud cover over the engagement zone was low, we were at maybe angels three and we were just skimming the top of them. Their fighters turned to engage us but our focus was taking out those attackers. We knew that without them, the ISAF mission would be a failure. So Thirteen gave the order, myself and the other two would continue on and engage from their six while he and Four would cover us from the fighters."

"The enemy fighters were the standard Osean F-15, twelve of them. But together, Thirteen and Four made them look like amateurs. There was a certain synergy between the two of them, I later learned that Thirteen was the one who trained Four to be a pilot. But the way they danced the Terminators around the Oseans, downing bird after bird, it was a display of true airmanship unlike anything I'd ever seen."

"By this time, the rest of us had managed to get behind the Strike Eagles. Their planes were weighed down with bombs, they lacked the same agility their fighter escort possessed. I myself claimed four kills that day. It was an outstanding victory for us, and a crushing defeat for the ISAF. Had they destroyed Stonehenge that day, I'm not sure if we'd been able to achieve almost total air supremacy for the rest of our push east."

The ISAF mission Raccoon speaks of is Operation Stonehenge Assault, a failed ISAF mission to disable or destroy Stonehenge. It was the first time the Yellow Squadron had engaged the ISAF forces, and had resulted in a complete mission failure for the ISAF. Without the air support they needed, Los Canas and Istas Fortress surrendered to the Erusean Army several days later.

"We landed back at base that afternoon...I was exhausted! For the entire engagement, the adrenaline of air combat had taken over. But Thirteen and Four seemed unaffected by the mission, carrying out their post mission tasks like a whole day in the cockpit was nothing to them. I knew that if I could learn from them, perhaps one day I too would be able to do the things they did in the skies above Stonehenge."


	2. Sky Kid

With documents and details provided by Raccoon, Yellow Nine, I was able to uncover a deeper insight into Erusea's most decorated squadron. The 156th Tactical Fighter Wing was commissioned in 1999 by the Erusean government who requested the introduction of an elite tactical fighter squadron able to conduct long-range missions and establish air superiority in the target area. The squadron was to be made up of both new and experienced pilots who either had impressive records in training and previous squadron records.

The Erusean government chose the Sukhoi Su-37 Terminator as the squadron's due to it's phenomenal maneuverability, and the aircraft had already proven itself several times over in combat with Belka's Gelb Team. With their superior skill and advanced technology, they were easily able to overcome the ISAF fighters that were sent up to engage them. Soon, their yellow wingtips became a feared sight in the skies above Usea.

"We were eventually reassigned from our northeast airbase to a new one in San Salvacion. We had a functional runway in the form of a freeway under construction, but had to make do with makeshift hangers and facilities." Raccoon explained, in answer to my query about the events after the successful mission to protect Stonehenge. "The city at this point had been occupied by the Army for some time, reserves mostly and units being reassigned from the front lines."

Records I discovered showed that during the war, a notable squadron had taken over a small local bar in the eastern part of the city. The pilots in question had all worn the same brown leather jacket with the insignia of the eagle, an emblem commonly linked to the Yellows. Raccoon confirmed the report.

"When we arrived, we headed into the town for some relief. We'd been flying long range patrols around the Stonehenge Turret Network which was taking its toll on us and our planes, so Thirteen authorised some leave for the squadron." He showed me a picture, it was of five pilots in brown jackets outside a small bar. The name of the bar was just visible near the top of the photograph, the Sky Kid. I recognised with certainty some familiar faces from the picture too. Thirteen stood out clearly from the rest, as did his wingman Four.

"The tank regiment had taken over the bar, but between us and another squadron we were able to commandeer the place. It was a fairly old place, everything was wooden and had a traditional feel about it. We all took a liking to it and since then it became our regular stop for some R and R." Again he showed me a different photograph. I had only been to the Sky Kid once but I was able to recognise the long bar and the relatively thin room it occupied.

"Did the staff take favourably to you?" I asked him.

"They never gave us trouble, but there was always a tense feeling when they served you. The Barkeep's daughter especially, I don't remember her saying a word at all to any of the Erusean pilots, not even when they tipped her generously. At times I would consider starting a conversation but her stubborn look and hard gaze discouraged me."

I looked closer at the picture of the squadron in the bar. In it was a young boy about twelve or fourteen years of age with short brown hair. In the picture I viewed, the boy played the harmonica to several onlookers.

"We didn't know the boy's name, he got the unofficial TAC name Harmonica because he was always in there playing for change. One day, Thirteen brought his guitar in, and began playing a tune. He often played back at base, but this was the first time he'd played at the Sky Kid. As we were totting up our scores for the day, he sat quietly at the back as he always did. Harmonica was watching, and with a smile he asked the boy to join him."

This was a story I'd heard before. It explained a lot about the man known as Yellow Thirteen, often portrayed as a man who was merciless and cold blooded in ISAF documents. Yet here he was, united by their love of music. It was a statement I proposed to Raccoon, who nodded in agreement.

"It's a personal hate of mine, the way Thirteen was made out." Raccoon shakes his head. "Thirteen was as quiet as they came, you wouldn't know he was there sometimes. On some occasions, the only indication you'd get of him being there would be the presence of Four by his side."

I had also heard stories of the relationship between Yellow Thirteen and his wingman, Yellow Four. Many had speculated that Thirteen and Four shared a romantic relationship, and the idea had become favourable among many after tales from ISAF pilots of two Flankers who seemingly danced in the skies above.

"The relationship Thirteen had with Four was nothing like the stories they told." He shook his head and leaned forward, as if eager to make his point. "Thirteen trained Four, he cared for her no doubt and watched out for her but there was no romantic interest. Four in turn looked to Thirteen as a mentor, and watched his back like any wingman would. A quiet professionalism that was obvious in the air and on the ground."

Many tales about the infamous Yellow Squadron were becoming false in light of the inside information provided by Yellow Nine, Raccoon. My interest only grew more, and the same obsession that drove me to chase down the Demon Lord pushed me onward to discover all I could about the Yellow Squadron, and the pilots that flew within its ranks.


	3. Longest Days

After Erusea's successful continent-wide offensive the Yellow Squadron was assigned to long range air superiority missions, the very missions the squadron was designed to complete. Such missions saw little resistance, the ISAF command had prohibited engagement against the aces due to the dwindling number of aircraft at their disposal. As such, the Yellows enjoyed a period of quietness and lack of action.

On September 19th 2004, the Eruseans mounted a successful attack that disabled the ISAF's early warning radar, allowing the deployment of bombers to Rigly Airbase on the continent's east coast. The objective of the new squadrons was to destroy Allenfort Airbase on the island of North Point, giving the Eruseans total air supremacy over all of Usea in preparation for the eventual attack against the remnants of the ISAF military forces stationed there. In an unprecedented attack, ISAF carrier based fighters intercepted and shot down all Erusean bombers deployed on the mission. Two weeks later, the same ISAF fighters were used in a strike mission targeting Rigly Airbase and successfully destroying the remaining Erusean bombers stationed there. They were the first recorded missions the Mobius Squadron were involved in, and also regarded as the turning point in the war.

In response to the Allied counter attacks, the Yellows were assigned more missions involving long range intercepts. The first time the Yellow Squadron and the Mobius Squadron engaged in combat over the same combat airspace was during Operation Early Bird on November 19th 2004.

"We arrived late to the combat airspace, the suddenness of the attack and poor weather hampered our response time. By the time we got there, the local squadrons had been overrun and the fuel stores creating an almighty black stretch of smoke across the sea. Once again, our arrival signalled a retreat for ISAF so we set about splashing as many of them as we could."

"As usual, we engaged with long range missiles to begin, but we only managed to shoot down one plane. We fired a second salvo, which was more successful and hit two of the slower strike fighters who still had some ordnance. But as we prepared to enter dogfight range, a trio of ISAF fighters turned off from the main force and came at us head on. It was suicidal, they came straight through our formation and we were forced to abandon our chase to deal with the three of them."

I produced an order of battle published by an ISAF source. "This was the first recorded time the Mobius Squadron and the Yellow Squadron were in the same combat airspace. Did you see them at all?"

Raccoon had an interested expression as he studied the paper. He shook his head at my question, but tapped the page. "No. But Vapour Squadron were the ones who fought the rearguard that day. We shot them all down, but they were pilots worth their wings. If they hadn't, we might have downed more planes that day."

The destruction of the fuel pipelines by ISAF forces stranded the Erusean 'Invincible Fleet' in port where it was attacked and crippled. With naval operations resumed, the next target would be the Faith Park solar generator that provided most of the power to Erusean industrial plants. Yellow Squadron was not deployed in defence of either the fleet nor the solar plant. In fact, Yellow Squadron would not engage the ISAF forces until Operation Countdown.

"That was the biggest furball I've ever seen. There were planes all over the place, half of the battle was trying not to crash into someone else." I could see Raccoon's face light up as he spoke of the fight. "Our mission was to secure air superiority along with the local squadrons in order for our bombers to stop the satellite launch, when we arrived the ISAF fighters were already airborne so we engaged straight away. My first kill was fairly simple, I dived onto the tail of an ISAF Tomcat and was immediately in gun range. My gun tore his wing and tail to bits, then I moved onto his wingman who was trying to jink me off but I got him with my gun too."

Operation Countdown, also known as the Battle of Comona Islands, was a large-scale aerial battle between the ISAF and Erusea. It even holds the record for the largest air-to-air battle in history, a record previously held by the Battle of B7R in the Belkan war almost ten years prior. Once again, ISAF deployed their Mobius Squadron, who arrived as the battle was in full swing. I wondered what the Yellow Squadron thought of the ace that was fast becoming their rival, a question I asked to Yellow Nine.

"At the time of the operation, we'd started to hear about the squadron and their flight lead, we figured it was nothing more than ISAF trying to promote the squadron's achievements to boost morale." He replied with a nod. "Our AWACS confirmed the reinforcements, and that Mobius Squadron was on the field. We continued, wary of the bolstered ISAF numbers before a particularly troublesome pilot latched himself to my six. In the confusion, our unit's cohesion had faltered slightly and I was open."

"I remember thinking, no problem. I can outmanoeuvre him. It wasn't the first time an enemy fighter had somehow gotten behind me. The missile alert came as expected and I was easily able to evade with a high-G turn. But the plane matched my moves, and stayed behind me. That's when I began to suspect that this could be that pilot. I tried another turn but that didn't work, and then I felt the plane jutter violently."

"I hit the airbrakes and he overshot. I would have pursued him, but my wing tank was leaking. Turns out I'd been hit by cannon fire, and I radioed to the others that I couldn't continue. Thirteen called off the engagement, so we reformed and headed home."

"Was it Mobius One?" I asked.

"Maybe. I caught a glimpse of the fighter as it passed me. It was an F-18, a Super Hornet and on its tail was a ribbon insignia." Raccoon shrugged. "There were several Hornets in the air, it could've been him or another Mobius pilot."

ISAF records do indeed confirm that the Mobius Squadron was deployed to the Comona Islands, and they claim that the lead pilot scored a missile hit that severely damaged Yellow Thirteen himself. Erusean battle records deny that any Yellow was hit and the squadron had to return due to lack of ammunition and fuel. However, here was first-hand information that disputed both sources.

Conflicting records are no rarity in war. When the organisation A World With No Boundaries was formed with members from multiple nationalities, the Kingdom of Sapin was quick to report that no Sapin nationals were ever part of the terrorist group. However, a battle report submitted by the Ustian AWACS Eagle Eye specifically mention a pair of Sapin fighters that were engaged by the Galm Team during an intercept mission to destroy the XB-0. Perhaps this difficulty in finding matching stories is what leads to legends such as the Demon Lord and the Ribbon Fighter rising into history?

I felt my interests in the Continental War shifting from the unheard tales of Yellow Squadron to the truth behind the Mobius Squadron. Was the legend of the lone pilot really true? Or was it another legend that arose to give a much needed morale boost to the ISAF troops? It was clear that looking through records of the war were proving to be unreliable, perhaps my answer lay with the man who sat across from me.


	4. Ribbon

Stonehenge, a railgun network designed in 1994 to shoot down asteroid fragments before planetfall. When the Erusean Army captured the base, they began extensive modifications to allow the network to be used as an anti-aircraft weapon, such as updating the 8,192 supercomputers and deploying an advanced jamming system. Stonehenge allowed the Federal Erusean Air Force to enjoy almost complete air supremacy over the mainland.

An attack on Stonehenge from allied forces was inevitable, if they wanted to win the war. After the Mobius Squadron escorted Stonehenge scientists from Erusean occupied lands, they prepared for Operation Stone Crusher. As the squadron assigned to the defence of Stonehenge, the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing was ordered to engage. However, a bomb was detonated on their makeshift runway which ultimately delayed their deployment to the battle. I asked Raccoon about the bomb, and he licked his lips before he spoke.

"It was planted by the San Salvacion resistance. Their members were all over the city but the Army had trouble rooting them out. Looking back, I'd say the attack on our runway was probably organised in line with the attack on Stonehenge and well, I guess their mission succeeded."

"What effect did the bomb have on the base?" I asked.

"I think they knew they couldn't destroy the runway. The bomb was planted near Four's plane, it sent up a load of shrapnel which injured a few technicians. Nobody was killed, thankfully but you could tell everyone was a little shaken up. We hadn't expected to be hit at home."

"Was Thirteen affected?"

"I remember him taking Four aside, and urging her not to fly. But Four wasn't the kind of girl to back down easily, and she went up nonetheless. Her plane trailed a light smoke, more than usual, when she took off which worsened as we entered the combat airspace. It made her an obvious target."

"Thirteen altered the formation, I would fly with him while Four would join the other two. It was an attempt to protect her I think, but the ISAF planes swarmed their formation. We were forced to relink into an element of five, which hindered our mobility. Multiple ISAF planes engaged, I managed to score a hit on one but Four was having trouble with this one particular pilot. Whatever move she made, however she tried to jink him off he remained glued to her six."

I frowned as he fell silent, his gaze moving to look out the window. His living room looked out across the Spring Sea and just off the coastline a flock of seagulls were engaged in nature's own furball. One of them had caught a fish, and the others hounded it, nipping at it's beak to steal it's food. I looked back to his face, and I recognised the look it bore. It was the same look Sapinish pilot Marcela Vasquez had when she spoke to me of the Demon Lord several years ago.

He leaned forward, and looked back to me. "We were all fighter pilots. We knew the risks every time we took off and engaged the enemy. Four shouldn't have flown that day but she did. Had her plane been in good condition, and not damaged by some cowards who struck from the shadows then maybe, just maybe, the outcome of the mission would have been much different."

There was an anger in Raccoon's eyes that I had not witnessed before. The Yellow Squadron had not only lost a pilot that day, but a valued member of the squadron and a friend. I was quickly coming to see that while the Mobius Squadron were heroes to the Allied Forces, the Eruseans were seeing a very different side of the story.

"Four's death wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was that each and every one of us tried to help her, to shake the bastard off her tail. I remember her voice on the radio, asking for support and the panic becoming more and more until eventually…" He trailed off and leaned back in the chair.

"Later in the bar, Thirteen hailed the lone pilot who had apparently destroyed Stonehenge, and also shot down Yellow Four. '_Look. Here's something worthy of praise. Even among the enemy, there are men like this. Not all of them are despicable bastards who rob our wings through cowardly sabotage._' I remember those words well."

"How did Thirteen feel about the loss of Four?" I asked. I wanted to gain a further insight into the man so little was known about.

"Thirteen lived for the air, he wanted to find a worthy opponent to fight. If he mourned Four's loss, he didn't show it to us. He did however seem to find a friend in the boy we called Harmonica. Perhaps if you can find him, he might know Thirteen's true feelings."

I was never able to find Harmonica. I was also not able to find the pilot known as Mobius One, who was rumored to have received a letter from the young boy about his time with the 156th. Thirteen's feelings would remain a secret to me, but through Yellow Nine's story, I now knew who Yellow Four was to all of them. Another close friend lost to war. She wasn't the first, and she would not be the last. And I knew with sadness, that there would be more like Four as long as war raged on.

There was one more question I had to ask about the battle over Stonehenge, and Raccoon finished his tea before answering. "Multiple ISAF planes battled us that day, I didn't get to see all of them clearly. But the one that shot down Four, the one that killed her, it had a ribbon insignia on it's tail."


	5. Dies Irae

The 156th Tactical Fighter Wing soon received new pilots and planes, enough to form a second flight. Yellow Squadron's 'B' Flight consisted entirely of the new replacements from training squadrons, and were assigned to the defence of San Salvacion when the Allied Forces attacked the city state and liberated it from the Erusean forces. Many of these new pilots, who lacked experience in combat, were easy prey for the battle-hardened ISAF Air Force. Meanwhile, the 'A' Flight were assigned to escort escaping transport planes from the area.

"Our squadron was formed for long range air superiority missions, not escort. It would have made more sense to assign the 'B' flight on the escort and for us to maintain air superiority over San Salvacion but instead, more rookies were killed because of Command's decisions." Raccoon shook his head.

Due to the capture of San Salvacion and the Yellow Squadon's base, the surviving members were stationed at Cape Rainy in Northern Erusea. The ISAF were able to obtain most of their supplies, including vital repairs for the aircraft engines that kept the 156th grounded while the ISAF attacked and broke through the last Erusean defensive line at Whiskey Corridor.

"Even when a supply chain was established, we didn't get the parts we needed. Our planes weren't the only things in bad shape, three of us had been with the Squadron since day one, Thirteen, Seven and me. To say we were in as bad a shape as our planes would be a pretty accurate statement. And we weren't the only ones either, a bomber squadron were based at Cape Rainy too. Erusean Bomber Command had taken more hits than our fighters, without adequate escort they had suffered unbelievable losses. When they got into their planes for their attack against the advancing ISAF forces, I saw the looks on their faces. None of them expected to return that day, and none of them did."

Erusean losses had far outweighed those of ISAF. Many diaries and records recovered from Erusean soldiers dug in at the capital of Farbanti showed that although many expected to lose the war and believed it impossible to win, they were all willing to fight to the last man in defence of their nation. The cause of the war was irrelevant to them at that point, they all had a reason to fight.

"Going into the final battle for Farbanti, we were all exhausted and tired of the war. Our planes sat in the hangers, armed and waiting to go on the inevitable call to scramble to the capital. While in the past we would entertain ourselves in the crew room with music and card games, we all sat in silence for almost a month while the ISAF prepared themselves. We didn't even have enough planes to organise a strike mission against them."

"When the call came, what was the general feeling?" I asked.

Raccoon was quiet for a moment. "It was a relief I think to most of us. Several weeks of waiting around had even driven Thirteen crazy. There was no pep talk, no light hearted quip, we just ran to our planes and took off. Even our AWACS, who was prone to making jokes, was quiet."

By the time the Yellow Squadron would arrive at Farbanti, the Erusean capital would be almost overrun by ISAF armoured divisions and their supporting infantry. The reinforcing tank battalion due to arrive to support the Erusean defenders was cut off when the Johnson Memorial Bridge was destroyed by Allied aircraft, the bridge has not yet been repaired and it's remaining structure still stands in ruin today. The destruction of the Memorial Bridge was heavily criticised by the Eruseans but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears from the international community.

"When we arrived the battle was in full swing. Fighting raged across the entire capital, I remember seeing one of our fighters chasing down ISAF planes in between the skyscrapers of the sunken city. As we came closer, several ISAF fighters turned towards us, our AWACS confirmed that the Mobius Squadron was among them."

"Did that discourage you at all?"

"No. If anything, it made us more determined to fight. Mobius had a debt to pay so we dived in fangs out and no turning back." He looked to the ceiling, leant back in his chair. "I imagine from the ground it looked like the most intense battle the skies had seen that war. Both sides were evenly matched, they had the numbers but we were fighting for our country. We shot down several ISAF planes, then our first loss was Yellow Seven. He failed to eject."

"With a plane down we split into two-plane elements but we took the second hit. It was my wingman Yellow Ten, I remember looking just as his plane exploded next to mine. One minute he was there next to me about to bank away and the next, fragments rained down like flares. There was no way he could have survived...the only good thought I had was that it was quick for him. It wasn't for Eighteen, her cockpit was hit by cannon fire and she crashed into the ocean. Then it was just me and Thirteen himself."

"The missile that hit Ten had also sent shrapnel into my engine, my number one was struggling. It made me an easy target, I had several bandits on my six who just wouldn't give me a second's break. I took a few cannon rounds, then a missile exploded underneath me. For a second I thought I could control it but then the cockpit just burst into flames. I barely managed to reach down and pull the handle to punch out before my plane just disintegrated."

I remember seeing Raccoon's burnt hands earlier. Everyone had previously assumed all the Yellows had been killed during the assault on Farbanti, I wondered how Raccoon's parachute had gone undetected.

"Everyone's eyes, mine included, were fixed on the scene above." He answered. "To this day, I have not seen such a masterclass in air combat manoeuvring. The ISAF planes backed off, leaving a lone F-22 to face Thirteen and I thought to myself, that must be the legendary Mobius One that everyone was raving about."

"Both of them put their planes through twists and turns, hitting g-levels I didn't think possible. Neither of them could get into position to fire a missile, one minute Thirteen was chasing Mobius One and the next, he was jinking to avoid gunfire. I forgot all about the war, and the fact I'd just been shot down, my eyes could barely keep up with the dance."

"Thirteen must have known he would be shot down, even if he did beat Mobius One?"

Raccoon nodded. "I don't think he cared. He'd finally met the one pilot he thought would be a worthy adversary and my God he was right. If there was one pilot who could beat Thirteen in a dogfight, it was Mobius One. Thirteen managed to land a few hits and my heart jumped. I thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, Thirteen could win this. But when he pulled a sudden sharp turn he must have blacked out for half a second and it proved fatal. Mobius One shredded his wing and Thirteen just fell out of the sky."

I frowned. "Did he not eject?" My question was met with a small smile as Raccoon leaned forward.

"As his jet passed me, his canopy opened." He explained. "I expected him to bail but instead, I saw a white handkerchief flutter out and to the ground below just before he crashed. I never found the handkerchief, but I know it used to belong to Four."

After Thirteen was shot down and the Erusean GHQ was overrun, the Allied Forces called for the Erusean surrender. Raccoon explained to me that he was able to blend in with the rest of the Erusean forces by removing his squadron patches and posing as a regular FEAF pilot. After the war, he joined the Erusean Air and Space Administration and became one of their chief test pilots. Rumour has it the EASA is developing an advanced version of the experimental X-02 using Belkan aerospace technology but understandably, he was unable to confirm any details.

Before I thank Raccoon for his time, he shows me to a cabinet in which he has a fine collection of hard-to-find bottles. I spy an Ustian Chateau Boloise, and a bottle of single malt Emmerian whiskey. This is the one he picks out. "Every year on the anniversary of the end of the war, I drink a toast." He explains as he fills two glasses. "I toast the Yellow Squadron, and the other Erusean pilots who died for our country. I toast the brave Vapour Squadron, who fought a rearguard to save their allies. And although they were responsible for the deaths of my wingmen, I toast the Mobius Squadron for bringing about the swift end to the war."

War will always be full of lost, forgotten or hidden stories. Often the victors will choose which stories to publish, and which stories will fade into the background. My journey through the Belkan War and now with the Yellows has taught me to appreciate both sides of the coin and has allowed me to uncover many of these hidden stories. However, there are still secrets that we'll never truly understand. Who was the Demon Lord of Ustio? What did Harmonica say in his letter to Mobius One? Was the Mobius Squadron really just one pilot? And who was Yellow Thirteen, a man who lived only to fight a worthy opponent?

I may never know the answers to these questions. But thanks to Yellow Nine, the world may finally understand what it was like to be in Erusea's ace squadron during Usea's Continental War. And that, at least, was the story I was looking for.

* * *

_A Note from the Author_

_And that concludes the first story I've written since 2007. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Again, another shout out to Doccy and Karaya for taking their time to proof read and suggest improvements!_

_Also a massive thank you to those who reviewed! There were some reviewers that I couldn't PM for some reason but know that I read and appreciated the time you took to give some feedback. Was there something here you especially liked? Let me know! Was there something you think I could improve on? Tell me how!_

_Until next time, ciao!_

_Silver Winged Duck_


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